Toasty tips: how to save money on heating

First things first: make sure you're not spending more than you should on
your heating bill. It's always worth investigating if you could be getting a
cheaper deal from your provider. You may even qualify for a grant or cold
weather payment.

"It can be surprising who can apply for
theWarm Home
Discount Scheme. A lot of providers have their
own criteria, and it's broader than you think."

"I'm going to look into claimingCold Weather Payments.
Although I work, it says if your child gets DLA you
may be entitled whether you're employed or not."

"The
government'sGreen
Dealaims to help families make improvements to
their home which would save spending on energy. Households can apply for money
towards things like insulation, draught-proofing and double glazing, or
renewable energy generators."

2. Consider curtains

Don't underestimate the draught-stopping capacity of drapes.
Hang good, thick curtains over your windows, internal doors and doorways; they
can make a huge difference in poorly insulated houses.

"Thick lined curtains on windows are great. I've also fixed them
over front and back doors. Our kitchen has no heat source but since covering
the back door I can no longer see my own breath when I walk in."

"Instead of having to forgo your colour scheme with the curtains, you can buy cheap lengths of fleece and
sew them into the curtains as linings, which helps keep the room warm."

"If you have
an open chimney but can't afford to light a fire, pin a sheet across it,
which keeps the wind from blowing down the chimney."

3. Look to your windows

Seal your windows, seal your windows, seal your windows.
An enormous amount of heat can escape through them, so on top of curtains,
try covering the glass with plastic or bubble wrap.

"Bubble wrap is your friend.
You can get 50m of the type with large air bubbles on eBay for around
Â£17. Spray some water on your windows to make them sticky, then
cut the bubble wrap to size and stick on. It means you have no view, but it
really helps insulating. And in spring, you can just peel it off and reuse it
again next year."

"Builders plastic isn't cheap,
but it's cheaper than double glazing. Tape it over windows and it can keep
the heat in and the cold out."

4. Try alternate sources of heat

It's not just oil that can heat your home. If you want to raise the
temperature of your bedroom before you go to sleep or warm up chilly rooms,
there are other, clever things you can do.

"Leave the oven door open when you've finished cooking, it really does
help to warm up the kitchen."

"The candle
heater really works - my late father-in-law used to do this in his
shed."

"I've worked out that it's cheaper to use a
gas fire instead of central heating, so now we use that when we're in the
lounge (around 12p an hour). We also have a small 2kw electric fan heater,
which is enough to warm up our bedroom after 15 minutes on full-blast and
only costs 8p."